University Language Research Articles

КОМПЛІМЕНТИ В ПЕРСЬКОМОВНІЙ КОМУНІКАЦІЇ: УНІВЕРСАЛЬНЕ ТА ЕТНОСПЕЦИФІЧНЕ

Background. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to develop the appropriate sociocultural competence of students studying Eastern languages in Ukrainian universities. Compliment is one of the ethno-specific speech acts (SA) functioning in the Persian linguistic and cultural area. Discovering the strategies which Persian speakers apply when giving and receiving compliments will help to understand the specific features of the cognitive mechanisms underlying their communicative behavior, and to make certain conclusions about their axiological world's image. Methods. (i) Comparative – to analyze the views of Western and Iranian researchers on the nature of compliments and responses to them; (ii) discourse analysis – to identify various social, mental, cultural, etc. factors that influence the complementary behavior of Persian speakers; (iii) intent analysis – to identify actual, explicitly non-expressed intentions of participants in Persian-speaking complimentary interaction. Results. It has been established that the compliment SA in Persian-speaking communication is closely related to the cultural schemes šekastenafsi 'modesty' and ša'n 'dignity' – integral components of the Persian politeness system ta'ārof. When responding to a compliment, Iranians tend to downplay the object of the compliment, raising the status of the initiator of the compliment instead. Also they apply this strategy when communicating in English, which demonstrates how valuable it is and how deep it is rooted in the Persian linguistic consciousness. Conclusions. In both English-speaking and Persian-speaking communicative behavior there is one common element – the desire to respond positively to a compliment, yet avoiding self-praise. Functioning of Persian-language compliments demonstrates its ethno-specific nature in the following cases: 1) when the reaction to a compliment on a thing of the addressee becomes a counteroffer to accept that thing as a gift; 2) when women are complimented on their appearance or personal qualities by men they don't know well; due to cultural restrictions, such compliments are perceived as insincere comments or even sarcasm, so they are ignored or regarded with disapproval.

Exploration and practice of online teaching of Chinese as a foreign language

This paper discusses the online teaching of Chinese as a foreign language in domestic universities with its openness and convenience, which helps Chinese education to enter a new stage. Online teaching is gradually changing the teaching process in China, which will be a major challenge for teachers who have been practicing traditional teaching methods. At the same time, problems such as weak interactivity and disconnection between "teaching" and "learning" also enable relevant scholars to think deeply about improving the quality of online teaching of Chinese as a foreign language. In view of the current implementation status and existing problems of online teaching of Chinese education, the author integrates various teaching resources, and puts forward targeted suggestions and paths, in order to improve the quality of online teaching of Chinese education and make the foreign Chinese major develop in a more positive direction.

Modern technical teaching aids as a component of the information and educational environment in teaching a foreign language at a maritime university

One of the main factors in the development and strengthening of the intellectual potential of the state, its self-sufficiency and competitiveness is education. Changes in the information and communication infrastructure have led to the fact that modern society imposes new requirements on the ways of acquiring and transferring knowledge and the role of a person in these processes. Reforming the methods and means of teaching a foreign language in a non-linguistic university is primarily associated with the use of new information technologies lies in the educational process of the concept of information and educational environment. The information and educational environment is considered in close connection with the system of developing learning and represents a set of conditions that not only allow the formation and development of language knowledge, skills, and abilities of a future specialist, but also contribute to the development of his personality, such a system of knowledge that he needs at this stage of solving the tasks of his development, which subsequently provides a real opportunity for mastering new tasks, increasing the level of complexity. The construction of a language IEE is based on principles that reflect the specifics of the studied subject and the learning environment itself, namely: openness, integrativity, systematic and consistent organization of educational material and its use in the educational process, interactivity, visual presentation of the material, multidimensionality, and redundancy of all components of the environment. The information and educational environment can be used as a resource for the formation of various competencies, the development of creative thinking and, most importantly, the striving for continuous improvement. The article examines in detail the resource and content component (RCC) of the information and educational environment modern integrated material and technical resources that contribute to the formation of the necessary competencies of graduates in the study of a professionally oriented foreign language.

Training professional skills using the Latin language (the case of medical specialties)

The relevance of the research is due to the fact that the study of the Latin language in a medical university has a purely professional orientation. The main goal of mastering this discipline is to train competent specialists to be proficient in professional terminology. Within the framework of this research, an attempt has been made to demonstrate the possibilities of the Latin language in teaching professional skills of future doctors and pharmacists. The article discusses three subsystems of medical terminology: anatomical-histological, clinical and pharmaceutical ones. As for the anatomical and histological section, typical mistakes and difficulties faced by students have been analyzed, and examples of tasks used by the author to solve these problems given. In the clinical section, the emphasis is made on the tasks that allow you to create an atmosphere of professional activity in the classroom and bring it closer to practical activity. The development of the pharmaceutical section is aimed at forming the terminological competence of future medical workers in the field of pharmaceutical terminology and general formulation. The author gives a brief overview of the material studied at this stage, and gives examples of practical tasks for its better assimilation. All the materials and exercises described in the article are used by the author in the process of teaching Latin in a medical university. Empirical methods, methods of comparison and analysis have been used in the research.As a result, it has been shown that successful teaching professional skills at a medical university is largely possible due to the study of the Latin language.

The role of translation in teaching a foreign language in a non-linguistic university

The role of translation in teaching a foreign language in a non-linguistic university

Приказката в обучението по чужд език на студенти

The topic of the present article explores the place of the fairy tale in foreign language learning for adults. The research aims to reveal the rich potential of the fairy tale for the successful training of foreign students in the Bulgarian language in foreign universities. Tasks of the research are: analysis of the fairy tale as a literary genre, as a linguistic text and as a methodological tool and some features of foreign language learning for adults, in this case for students. From a theoretical and methodological point of view, there are detailed statements of German-speaking linguists and specialists in the field of teaching a foreign language, and from a practical point of view, the development is based on the teaching of Bulgarian as a foreign language for students at the Institute of Slavic Studies at the University of Jena “Friedrich Schiller” in Germany and at the Baku Slavic University in Azerbaijan. The general conclusions of the study indicate that the use of the fairy tale in the process of foreign language learning is undoubtedly both a very successful and no less interesting tool. What is innovative in this research is the focus on the age group of the participants in the foreign language process – the students, who are adult participants. In this sense, the tale reveals additional possibilities and ideas for application, which would contribute both to the practical learning process of foreign languages in general, but also to theoretical scientific disciplines, such as linguistics, methodology of teaching foreign languages, lexicology, foreign studies of the countries whose language is taught, sociolinguistics and so on.

К ПРОБЛЕМЕ РАЗВИТИЯ МОТИВАЦИОННОЙ СФЕРЫ БУДУЩЕГО МЕДИКА ПРИ ОБУЧЕНИИ РУССКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ КАК ИНОСТРАННОМУ / TO THE PROBLEM OF DEVELOPING THE MOTIVATIONAL SPHERE OF A FUTURE PHYSICIAN WHEN TEACHING RUSSIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The article deals with problems of development of the motivational sphere in teaching Russian as a foreign language in a medical university. The types of motivation in learning are considered. The results of a survey on the topic “Why does a physician need to know Russian?”, conducted among students of the Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi are presented, analyzed and summarized. Some directions, ways and methods of strengthening motivation in teaching RFL to future medical workers are proposed.

ОБНОВЛЕНИЕ СОДЕРЖАНИЯ, МЕТОДИК И ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНО-ОРИЕНТИРОВАННОГО ОБУЧЕНИЯ ИНОСТРАННОМУ ЯЗЫКУ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ АГРАРНЫХ ВУЗОВ)

This article discusses the features of practice-oriented teaching of a foreign language in an agrarian university and the most optimal ways of introducing digital technologies into the educational process in order to improve it. The authors have studied in detail some aspects that complicate the process of teaching the discipline and therefore require special attention: the amount of time allocated to classroom classes in a foreign language according to the curriculum, low motivation for study on the part of students, as well as a different level of their foreign language training at the time of the beginning of studies at university. In addition, the need to revise the content of the foreign language course was emphasized, not only in terms of relevance and scientific nature of the material, but also in order to update the forms and methods of teaching used within the framework of universal digitalization of agricultural education. During the course of the discipline, teachers and students tested various programs for making and demonstrating presentations, diagnostic tests, intelligence maps and crosswords, and also studied the basic principles of working in messengers and cloud platforms (Discord, Webinar, Zoom). Close attention was paid to the ways to increase students’ motivation to study at an agricultural university in general and to study foreign languages in the context of their chosen specialty in particular; as well as to develop their professional and personal qualities: initiative, responsibility, teamwork skills and creative thinking.

Storytelling Technology in Teaching Russian to Students of Technical Specialties

In modern linguodidactics, the issue of teaching languages is acute in terms of their active use in communication, so teachers are actively developing new methods of communicative learning. Among the most popular and effective is storytelling, which is considered within the framework of pedagogy and linguodidactics as a technology, as a method, as a form, and as a means of teaching. The purpose of our work is to analyse its features within the framework of modern Russian and foreign linguodidactics and show the specifics of its use in teaching Russian as a foreign language in a technical university, without going into details of the interpretation of the theoretical justifications for the essence of storytelling. The conclusions and recommendations of the authors of the article are supported by the results of a pedagogical experiment conducted at the Omsk State Transport University in the 2021/22 academic year.

Problems of working with popular science texts in foreign language course of technical universities

Specific linguistic features of popular science literature allow the use of these text materials for educational purposes in the process of learning a foreign language in non-linguistic universities. However, the selection of linguistic material optimally meeting the demands of the specified studying courses presents certain difficulties. The choice and adaptation of popular science texts for studying purposes becomes still more difficult with the shortage of time assigned by the programs for this compulsory subject.

DIALOGICAL SPEECH ACTIVITY AS A NECESSARY COMPONENT OF THE FORMATION OF STUDENTS ' FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMPETENCE

One of the results of international cooperation and competitiveness is the need to remove the language barrier between its participants. In accordance with this, ensuring the mastery of a foreign language for free communication is the most important task of the education system at the present stage of development. In the proposed article, dialogical speech activity is considered as a necessary component for the formation of students ' foreign language communicative competence, which is one of the main goals of teaching a foreign language in a modern university. The article considers the characteristics and features of dialogical speech activity, the importance of speaking as a type of speech activity. The relevance of the research is related to the use of two types of teaching dialogical speech activity: deductive and inductive. Teaching foreign language dialogical speech activities should be systematic, purposeful, as close as possible to the conditions of real reality, which contributes to achieving a positive result in teaching a foreign language. The article provides a theoretical analysis of the application of the method of dialogical speech activity in teaching a foreign language at the present stage, taking into account trends towards international intercultural interaction.

Methods of Teaching Students of Non-Linguistic Specialties at a Higher Educational Institution

The modern educational paradigm provides for the formation of various competencies: general cultural, personal and professional, the optimal combination of which should be achieved as a result of professional training of a specialist. Accordingly, for students of non-linguistic specialties, the study of a foreign language should be aimed at the development of all these competencies, which determines the choice of the main forms and methods of teaching it, based on an integrative personal-activity approach. At the same time, the main methodological solution for teaching a foreign language in a non-linguistic university should be the development and creative application of complex digital educational resources that can be used both as basic and additional pedagogical technologies. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that in the conditions of modern informatization of society, it becomes necessary not only to develop methodological tools independently, but also to use the existing developments productively. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that students have the opportunity to apply the knowledge, skills and abilities they have acquired, determine for themselves the need for additional information, continue their continuing education and self-education throughout their professional path. The use of digital educational resources makes it possible to switch the process of acquiring knowledge from broadcasting to their purposeful acquisition, which corresponds to the modern competence paradigm.

Роль педагога-фасилитатора в организации и сопровождении слушателей МООК

In the modern information society, the priority trend of modern education has become the system of open education through distance learning technologies. The most innovative of such technologies are mass open online courses (MOOCs), when each student chooses the goal, content, method, timeand place of training independently. The interest in this problem is due to both the global situation associated with the coronavirus pandemic around the world and, as a result, a global lockdown, and applied tasks designed to contribute to the achievement of the main goal of modern education, which is to prepare an individual for independent life in modern society, arming him with the necessary skills and professional competencies.This article attempts to study the role of a facilitator in the framework of teaching a number of disciplines in English for 61 students of language and non-language specialties in Kazakh universities. It also describes the experimental training of students both in the traditional form of classes according to recommended textbooks and educational and methodological complexes, and using MOOCs on various platforms for 15 weeks independently and with the help of a facilitator through consultations. At the end of the training, a questionnaire and a survey were conducted, both teachers and students. The results of the survey allow us to conclude that the majority of students have significantly increased their motivation to study the subject, they have become more responsible in performing tasks, thanks to numerous international practices. However, a third of the respondents from students without the necessary support from a facilitator to gain access to MOOC courses found themselves in a self-built distance education vacuum. The conducted survey objectively demonstrates that teachers and students do not know all aspects of this type of training and it is necessary to identify the trajectories of the distance learning format in order to expand the understanding of the role of the facilitator.

Information and communication model of learning a foreign language in a non-linguistic university

Information and communication model of learning a foreign language in a non-linguistic university

Использование информационно-коммуникационных технологий при обучении чтению на английском языке студентов аграрного вуза

The question of the use of information and communication technologies in teaching students of technical universities to read authentic texts in English is raised. The subject of the study was multimedia technologies in teaching reading in English to students of an agrarian university in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to provide a justification for the effectiveness of the use of information and communications technology in teaching reading English texts, as well as the study of information and communications technology on the example of the domestic iSpring Suite 11 program. Using the survey and observation method, as well as the systematization of available data within the framework of our question, and based on experience, it was concluded that the use of modern interactive multimedia technologies increases motivation to learn a foreign language, and also has a positive effect on the results of students. The analysis of the papers on our issue showed that the use of presentations in the classroom increases the level of cognitive activity, enhancing visual perception among students, and facilitates the assimilation of educational material. Teachers are invited to actively introduce information and communications technology into the processes of classroom and extracurricular work. The use of programs based on the Microsoft PowerPoint functional base is recommended. The importance of teaching reading as one of the leading types of speech activity in the preparation of graduates of agrarian universities is emphasized. The practical application of the results can be used in teaching a foreign language in a non-linguistic university.

Motivational Effect of The Design of The Coursebook “Scope” On University Students: A Case Study in Tishk International University Language Preparatory School

Motivational Effect of The Design of The Coursebook “Scope” On University Students: A Case Study in Tishk International University Language Preparatory School

Methodological Aspects of the First Foreign Language for History and Archaeology Bachelors

The present study aims at methodological grounding of the specific types of foreign language competences for non-philology faculty students enrolled in the First Foreign Language (English) course taught within the first (bachelor) level of the academic professional program 0.32 History and Archaeology. The suggested methodological and conceptual basis outlined in the research has a concrete practical application to address university language teachers in non-philology faculties, curricula designers, professionals, researchers or practitioners in the field of foreign language teaching. The competency-based foreign language author methodology is practically exemplified in the study as a collaborative teacher-student(s) foreign language learning experience to reinforce cognitive competences through brainstorming, intellectual communication and research via formative e-learning educational and methodological complex, its development and implementation. An overall history study is essentially focused on the concept of historical thinking, specifying such cognitive skills as significance, primary source evidence, continuity and change, cause and consequence, historical perspective-taking, the ethical dimension as key research matters of academic history discourse. The fundamental meaning-making aspects of historical accounts theoretically and empirically substantiate that history and historical knowledge are always culturally predetermined, dynamic and open to contestation and discussion. Within the conceptual-methodological model, the issue is open to a broad scientific analysis in terms of cognitive competences in professional history and archaeology settings as well as in the field of competency-based foreign language learning deploying spoken and written discourse for special purposes. Pragmatic competence encompasses discursive strategies of organizing and structuring the general and professional or specialised discourse in terms of its coherence, cohesion, thematic organization, logical reasoning, as well as functional action-oriented knowledge via general or professional-oriented communicative functions performing. From the foreign language studying perspective multimodality approach has clearly envisaged as progressive constituent for further research under the competency-based foreign language learning methodology to apply in non-linguistic specialties.

Exploring generative artificial intelligence preparedness among university language instructors: A case study

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in English language teaching presents opportunities and challenges for instructors. This study explores the attitudes of higher education English language instructors towards generative AI tools, their intentions to use them and the institutional support and professional development necessary to teach and learn with them. As the field continues to evolve rapidly, it is essential to comprehend the readiness of front-line language instructors. This qualitative interpretive study seeks to identify the digital competencies and pedagogical knowledge required to implement generative AI in education and provide guidance for the design of professional development programmes that address the challenges and concerns associated with adopting AI. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with twelve instructors at a higher education institution in Hong Kong, the findings reveal the significance of familiarity and confidence with using AI-driven teaching tools, the challenges and concerns language instructors face and the need for tailored support and professional development. The study offers ten practical implications to cultivate language instructors’ digital competencies, pedagogical knowledge and positive attitudes towards integrating AI to enhance their students’ learning experiences.

From professional support to academic pathway – negotiating professional identity in a time of organisational change (case study of two middle managers at a UK university language centre)

In the past five years some UK Universities have introduced the Academic Education Pathway contracts (AEP), incorporating the elements of leadership, teaching and scholarship for recognition and promotion of professional services staff with teaching responsibilities. While colleagues have been encouraged to apply for the new contracts at the departmental level, the University policy guidelines have been conflicting and ambiguous. Many newly AEP transferred departmental middle managers have reported stress related to the application process, uncertainty about career progression, increased workload, and professional identity regulation largely due to the element of research added to the new role. The novelty of the AEP contract and the anecdotal evidence of the burden placed upon the individuals experiencing role incongruity has identified the gap in the knowledge of professional identity construction of UK University middle managers at a time of contractual organisational change. This study will investigate the previously unresearched area of University Language Centre managers with teaching responsibilities. Despite similarities in experiencing organisational change, the participants of the study make different identity claims aligning or resisting the dominant societal and organisational discourses, such as the discourse of New Managerialism, thus highlighting the nuanced and culturally specific approach to professional identity negotiation. The study is framed by the concepts of Educational Leadership, Middle Management and Organisational Change. While the findings may not be generalized beyond the context of this study, the implications can be significant for UK Higher Education policy makers.

Bringing the World Home: Languages and Area Studies in Australian Universities

If Australia is to remain a literate citizen of this rapidly changing world we need to understand not just the anglophone West and the large-scale bloc politics of world regions but also the deeper forces that drive nations and regions. Language is essential to understanding of any given nation or region. But what do we find in our university language departments? Dwindling enrolments, dying courses, and frustrated highly qualified academic staff teaching beginners language courses. In this article I explore the connections between languages and area studies at our universities with a view to suggesting alternatives in the ways in which we present languages and their populations to our students.